Progress update on One Governing Body for Golf in Ireland

Representatives from the ILGU and GUI met for the first time in November 2015 to initiate discussions on the establishment of One Governing Body for Golf (OGB) in Ireland.

A Discussions Group (DG) was established and has four representatives from each organisation. The role of the DG is to develop a proposal for One Governing Body for Golf in Ireland, which is inclusive, modern, democratic and fit for purpose, and to present that proposal to the relevant Boards in the respective organisations and to Clubs.

Consultation sessions were held with a number of Golf Club members and Union representatives in early 2016 and the feedback suggests that there is broad acceptance that OGB is a good idea and, if done well, will underpin the success of golf into the future.

Working Groups

To make progress in a timely manner the Discussions Group has established eleven Working Groups in the areas of Finance, Communications, Organisational Structure, Future Club Formation, Club Services, Game Development, Championships, Volunteerism, Rules, High Performance and Course Rating/Handicapping.

Four of these Working Groups; Finance, Communications, Organisational Structure and Future Club Formation were established in 2016 and the remaining seven were setup in January 2017.

One Governing Body for Golf in Ireland Website

The Communications Working Group recognised the requirement to effectively engage with all interested parties during the ongoing discussions. In this effort, a dedicated One Governing Body for Golf in Ireland website has been created and can be accessed via: http://www.onegoverningbody.com/. The website provides the public with the opportunity to consult on all relevant materials relating to OGB for Golf in Ireland.

Organisational Structure (OS) Workshop

The Discussions Group, on the recommendations of the OS Working Group identified the need to hold a workshop with a cross section of officials and club members on the topic of Organisational Structure. The workshop was held to gather feedback on a suitable structure for the new body, including the administrative and competition arms and to gather suggestions on ways in which the roles, responsibilities and functions of the body would be carried out.

The feedback received was invaluable to the Discussions Group and there were a number of reoccurring points and continuous themes which emerged when attendees addressed the question 'What structure should OGB have?' The attached report highlights the feedback received, detailing all attributes of what a successful National Governing Body for Golf in Ireland would look like. ​​

The eleven Working Groups will report to the Discussions Group in May and further work will follow that. Consultations on a draft proposal will be held in the autumn before being finalised for consideration by clubs and the two Unions towards the year-end and into 2018.